


Love and Affection in the style of Arthur Pendragon

by ladysockalot



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-05
Updated: 2010-01-05
Packaged: 2017-10-17 20:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/180677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladysockalot/pseuds/ladysockalot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur has a very funny way of showing people he likes them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love and Affection in the style of Arthur Pendragon

**Author's Note:**

> Modern AU

When Arthur was five years old he hit a fellow classmate with a stick he'd picked up in the playground and declared him knighted. At first Lancelot had just stared, until Arthur had given him his own stick (which he informed Lancelot was a sword) and encouraged him to duel. After that the two of them single-handedly conquered the playground together and became good friends. Even if Arthur was prone to hitting Lancelot with a stick when he wasn't looking.

At eight years old Arthur got a new sister, a step-sister; Morgana. At first he simply ignored her. She was a bit older than he was and wasn't at all intimidated by Arthur waving a plastic sword. Gradually though he found himself not minding being in the same room as Morgana. He even started enjoying talking with her (even if said talking was often insults). It was only when he found himself pulling her hair that he realised he was happy to have a sister. Although he nearly changed his mind when Morgana stole his Knight action figures.

Morgana had a friend called Gwen whom Arthur met when he was twelve. The two girls spent all their time giggling and being, well, girls. They talked about hair, and make-up, and other boring girly things. Arthur mostly stayed out of their way. Gwen was nice though, sometimes she even gave Arthur chocolate. He still wasn't sure why she'd cried after he'd tripped her up as a joke.

Two days later though she smiled at him and offered him a Mars bar. Morgana just told him that in future he shouldn't trip Gwen up. He didn't, but he'd still put rubber snakes in Morgana's bed and didn't regret it until she put a real spider in his.

As a teenager Arthur found himself getting attention from girls. At sixteen he met Sophia and was smitten. He wasn't sure what it was about her. Perhaps it was the way she'd hit him if he wasn't paying her enough attention. Or maybe it was the way she would push him if he was in her way. Whatever it was Morgana told him it wasn't healthy. It took him a while to realise though. It was only after he saw her pulling Owain along by his tie that he had the epiphany that Sophia didn't actually love him.

Even so he'd kept the rope she'd given him for months until Morgana threw it out.

At the age of twenty Arthur bumped into Merlin at the university accommodations office and ended up sharing a flat with him. From the first day Arthur found he couldn't stop pushing past Merlin, or slapping him on the back, or flicking his ear. By the third week of living together he was ruffling Merlin's hair and giving him noogies. When Morgana visited she just smiled at him and started throwing around words like 'besotted'.

Even Gwen and Lancelot (who were dating despite Lancelot having never tripped Gwen up) would give him weird 'oh that's sweet' looks when he punched Merlin's arm.

It was only when Merlin asked why he kept torturing him that Arthur realised why he did it. He liked Merlin. Liked him. Liked him 'that way'. Morgana had once told him that he only bullied people he liked. Which, looking back, was true. Given the way he had spent most of the time he was with Merlin touching him, or hitting him, or ruffling his hair, he really liked Merlin.

"I like you," Arthur said.

"You like me?" Merlin didn't sound convinced. "Then why are you torturing me?"

"I don't know," Arthur admitted. "I just... like you and I can't stop doing those things to you."

Merlin sighed. "Look, I like you. Even if you are a prat and a bully. And I don't mind it, not really. Well, except for flicking my ears. But maybe we should try doing other things that don't hurt as much?"

That was how Arthur learnt that kissing Merlin was much more fun than elbowing him at the dunner table, and that squeezing Merlin's shoulder could be done gently too. Merlin was an excellent teacher; from the gentle way he would massage Arthur's shoulders before an exam, to the way he fussed with Arthur's collar before he met his Mum. Merlin was careful and gentle, and Arthur was more rough and obvious. Together they achieved a balance that suited them both; apart from the ear flicking which Arthur had had to give up after dating Merlin for a month.

When Arthur was sixty five he and Merlin were invited to the sixth birthday party of Gwen and Lancelot's grandson; Tom. They sat in the corner watching as Tom pulled the hair of one of the girls who had been invited.

"Must be love," Arthur said.

"I don't think she knows that", Merlin replied, as the girl hit Tom with her shoe. "Or maybe she does," he corrected.

Arthur just smiled and flicked Merlin's ear. Merlin elbowed Arthur in return and laughed.

Yes, it was still love.


End file.
